Bjørn Liaset

Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) impairs muscle function and subsequent performance. While research investigating the protective role of animal-derived protein is widespread, investigations into sustainable alternatives are lacking. The present study examined the effects of a novel, salmon-derived protein peptide (SPP) on muscle recovery. In a single-blind, parallel-design, 33 recreationally active adults (age: 23.9 ± 4.0 years, body mass index: 23.7 ± 4.0) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (a) SPP, (b) whey protein, or (c) carbohydrate control. In addition to a controlled 1.0 g·kg body mass ⁻¹ ·day ⁻¹ dietary protein intake, participants consumed either 0.9 g·kg body mass ⁻¹ ·day ⁻¹ supplemental protein or isoenergetic carbohydrate for 4 days following EIMD (10 × 10 unilateral eccentric knee extensions). Maximal voluntary contraction, countermovement jump height, muscle soreness, thigh circumference, creatine kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase were assessed at baseline and +1, +4, +24, +48, and +72 hr post EIMD. Significant time effects were observed for all variables. Countermovement jump height was greater in the SPP versus carbohydrate groups at +72 hr and across all time points when pooling the two protein groups, creating a higher protein versus normal protein group comparison. There were no significant group effects for all remaining outcomes. High-quality protein supplementation >1.0 g·kg body mass ⁻¹ ·day ⁻¹ appears to have only a modest effect on the rate of recovery following EIMD, with a potential role in alleviating muscle damage, particularly in the later stage of recovery. Furthermore, the SPP supplement was not inferior to a high-quality protein source (whey protein), indicating that it may represent a sustainable and effective alternative for muscle recovery.

The study investigated the acute effects of meals containing either salmon or veal in combination with carbohydrates with high or low glycemic index (GI) on diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) (primary endpoint), appetite sensations, and energy intake (EI). Twenty-five overweight men and women ingested four iso-caloric test meals: salmon with mashed potatoes (high GI) (SM), salmon with wholegrain pasta (low GI) (SP), veal with mashed potatoes (VM) and veal with wholegrain pasta (VP). Energy expenditure was measured in the fasting state and six times postprandially for 25 min with 5-min breaks between each measurement. Appetite sensations were measured every 30 min. Blood samples, from arterialized venous blood, were drawn every 20 min until an ad libitum buffet-style lunch was served 3.5 h later. DIT was 40% higher after the SM meal compared to the SP meal (p = 0.002). Prospective food consumption was lower after the SM meal compared with the VP meal (p = 0.01). There were no differences in satiety, hunger, fullness, or ad libitum EI between the test meals (all p > 0.05). In conclusion, salmon with high GI carbohydrates increased DIT compared to salmon with low GI carbohydrates. This indicates that DIT is sensitive to the GI of the carbohydrates after intake of salmon but not veal.

A large fraction of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in cod fillet is present in the form of phospholipids (PLs). Freezing initiates hydrolysis of the PLs present in the fillet. Here, we compared the effects of Western diets based on frozen cod, fresh cod or pork with a diet based on casein in male C57BL/6J mice fed for 12 weeks at thermoneutrality. Diets based on fresh cod contained more PL-bound n-3 PUFAs (3.12 mg/g diet) than diets based on frozen cod (1.9 mg/g diet). Mice fed diets containing pork and fresh cod, but not frozen cod, gained more body and fat mass than casein-fed mice. Additionally, the bioavailability of n-3 PUFAs present in the cod fillets was not influenced by storage conditions. In a second experiment, diets with pork as the protein source were supplemented with n-3 PUFAs in the form of PL or triacylglycerol (TAG) to match the levels of the diet containing fresh cod. Adding PL-bound, but not TAG-bound, n-3 PUFAs, to the pork-based diet increased body and fat mass gain. Thus, supplementation with PL-bound n-3 PUFAs did not protect against, but rather promoted, obesity development in mice fed a pork-based diet.

The metabolic effects associated with intake of different dietary protein sources are not well characterized. We aimed to elucidate how two diets that varied in main protein sources affected the fasting and postprandial serum metabolites and lipid species. In a randomized controlled trial with crossover design, healthy adults (n = 20) underwent a 4-week intervention with two balanced diets that varied mainly in protein source (lean-seafood versus non-seafood proteins). Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses were applied to examine the effects of the two diets on serum metabolites. In the fasting state, the lean-seafood diet period, as opposed to the non-seafood diet period, significantly decreased the serum levels of isoleucine and valine, and during the postprandial state, a decreased level of lactate and increased levels of citrate and trimethylamine N-oxide were observed. The non-seafood diet significantly increased the fasting level of 26 lipid species including ceramides 18:1/14:0 and 18:1/23:0 and lysophosphatidylcholines 20:4 and 22:5, as compared to the lean-seafood diet. Thus, the lean-seafood diet decreased circulating isoleucine and valine levels, whereas the non-seafood diet elevated the levels of certain ceramides, metabolites that are associated with insulin-resistance.

Female C57BL/6J mice were fed a regular low-fat diet or high-fat diets combined with either high or low protein-to-sucrose ratios during their entire lifespan to examine the long-term effects on obesity development, gut microbiota, and survival. Intake of a high-fat diet with a low protein/sucrose ratio precipitated obesity and reduced survival relative to mice fed a low-fat diet. By contrast, intake of a high-fat diet with a high protein/sucrose ratio attenuated lifelong weight gain and adipose tissue expansion, and survival was not significantly altered relative to low-fat-fed mice. Our findings support the notion that reduced survival in response to high-fat/high-sucrose feeding is linked to obesity development. Digital gene expression analyses, further validated by qPCR, demonstrated that the protein/sucrose ratio modulated global gene expression over time in liver and adipose tissue, affecting pathways related to metabolism and inflammation. Analysis of fecal bacterial DNA using the Mouse Intestinal Tract Chip revealed significant changes in the composition of the gut microbiota in relation to host age and dietary fat content, but not the protein/sucrose ratio. Accordingly, dietary fat rather than the protein/sucrose ratio or adiposity is a major driver shaping the gut microbiota, whereas the effect of a high-fat diet on survival is dependent on the protein/sucrose ratio.

Background: Recently we showed that lean seafood consumption reduced circulating triacylglycerol (TG) and VLDL concentrations and prevented an elevate

Scope: Proteins constitute an important part of the human diet, but understanding of the effects of different dietary protein sources on human metabolism is sparse. We aimed to elucidate diet‐induced metabolic changes through untargeted urinary metabolomics after four weeks of intervention with lean‐seafood or nonseafood diets. It is shown that lean‐seafood intake reduces urinary excretion of metabolites involved in mitochondrial lipid and energy metabolism possibly facilitating a higher lipid catabolism in healthy subjects.Methods: In a randomized controlled trial with crossover design, 20 healthy subjects consumed two balanced diets that varied in main protein sources for 4 weeks. Morning spot urine samples were collected before and after each intervention period. Untargeted metabolomics based on ¹H NMR spectroscopy and LC‐MS analyses were applied to characterize the urinary metabolic response to the interventions.Results: The lean‐seafood diet period reduced the urinary level of l‐carnitine, 2,6‐dimethylheptanoylcarnitine, and N‐methyl‐2‐pyridone‐5‐carboxamide, relative to the nonseafood period. The dietary analysis revealed that the higher urinary level of trimethylamine‐N‐oxide after the lean‐seafood diet period and guanidinoacetate and 3‐methylhistidine after the nonseafood diet period was related to the endogenous content of these compounds in the diets.Conclusions: Our data reveal that 4 weeks of lean‐seafood intake reduces urinary excretion of metabolites involved in mitochondrial lipid and energy metabolism possibly facilitating a higher lipid catabolism in healthy subjects after the lean‐seafood intake.

It is now increasingly recognized that the beneficial effects of seafood consumption is not limited to lipids and fatty acid, but that the protein part, i.e., peptides and amino acids, together with vitamins and even unknown bioactive constituents also are important for disease prevention. This study was designed to evaluate the putative anti-atherogenic effects of different protein sources (a lean seafood and a nonseafood) in apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE−/−) mice. Twenty-four 5-week-old female apoE−/− mice were fed Western type diets containing chicken or a combination of cod and scallops as dietary protein sources for 13 weeks. Atherosclerotic plaque burden, weight, serum levels of leptin, glucose and LDL cholesterol as well as gene expressions from liver and heart were evaluated. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS. Differences between the variables were evaluated using independent t-test or Mann–Whitney U test for normally and non-normally distributed variables, respectively. Normality was defined by the Shapiro-Wilk test. The mice fed cod-scallop had a 24 % (p < 0.05) reduced total aorta atherosclerotic plaque burden compared to the chicken fed group, whereas the reduction in plaque in the less lesion prone thoracic and abdominal parts of the descending aorta were 46 % (p < 0.05) and 56 % (p < 0.05), respectively. In addition, mice fed cod-scallop gained less weight, and had lower serum levels of leptin, glucose and LDL cholesterol, compared to those fed chicken. Analysis of expression of the genes from liver and heart showed that hepatic endogenous antioxidant paraoxonase 2 (Pon2 gene) and the vascular cell adhesion molecule VCAM-1 (Vcam1 gene) were down regulated in mice fed cod-scallop compared to mice fed chicken. The present study revealed a metabolic beneficial effect of lean seafood compared to chicken, as atherosclerotic plaque burden, serum glucose, leptin and LDL cholesterol levels were reduced in mice fed cod-scallop.